Two Decades of Gr3! - January Update

Thursday, January 9, 2020 4:56 AM

Little did we know but we’ve been in the third grade for two decades. Yikes. I hope everyone was able to have a nice relaxing break with the family and that Aunt Carol or Susan didn’t do that thing again (we all have one of those). We’ve got an exciting month ahead and so here’s a quick run down on what we’ll be up to. Oh and yes, we’ll do it with 2020 vision (been waiting years for this joke so just let me have it).


Important Dates

Thursday, January 16th: Fun Lunch (Edo) and Spirit Day (Jersey Day)

Thursday, January 30th: Report Cards home

Friday, January 31st: PD Day (no school for all students)



Curricular Information


Language Arts

We are starting a new novel study called “Stella Diaz Has Something To Say”. This book was chosen as a Global Read Aloud selection, which meant that as schools around the world were reading it, they were submitting questions to the author, and she would respond via blog posts. These blog posts are on-line so we’ll be able to enjoy them as we read through the book. We will also be having a “book-tasting” on Wednesday, where students will have the chance to explore new books in our school library, while having some tasty treats.

In writing, we are continuing with our focus on persuasive writing. Students have been following the “OREO” format, which has them state their Opinion, give a Reason, followed by an Example, and then restate their Opinion. We have talked at length about why persuasive writing is so important, and how it used for good and for bad, especially in advertising and government campaigns.


Math

We started off this week by reviewing our skip counting from 2’s-5’s, and have tied that into multiplication. Students are receiving plenty of skip counting and multiplication practice at school, and this should be continuing at home. We will be having our January fact frenzy sometime early next week, which will include addition, subtraction, and now multiplication basic facts. Once again for multiplication, grade 3 students are only required to learn up to 5x5. Below are some websites with multiplication practice. Not all the games are great, but there should be a few that would be helpful!

https://www.multiplication.com/games/all-games

https://www.multiplication.com/games

https://www.timestables.com/games/

https://www.fun4thebrain.com/mult.html

https://www.education.com/games/multiplication/

http://www.math-play.com/multiplication-games.html


Science

We are mid-way through our Hearing and Sound unit. Students have been learning about vibrations, pitch and volume, as well as how sound can travel through different materials. We just finished learning about all the intricacies of the ear and how it detects vibrations. Students were also quite amused to learn that people of different ages have different hearing ranges, as many of my students could hear higher-pitched sounds that I could no longer hear! Up next, students will be creating their own instruments. As I mentioned before winter break, if you have any left over recyclables you don’t need, please send them in over the next few days so we can use them for our instruments. Check out the Science Resources page for all the resources, links and videos to help you support this work at home.


Social Studies

We have wrapped up our study on India, and our moving on to Peru. Students were fascinated to learn about passports yesterday, and how important they are when traveling. We will be learning all about Peru’s culture, and comparing it to both Canada and India. If you have any special Peruvian artifacts at home that could be shared at school, let me know!

Thanks,


Daniel Polsky
Grade 3 Teacher | Learning Leader
Fish Creek School | cbe.ab.ca
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